The Most Dangerous Game
by ScarlettMae
Summary: Nora wanted Negan dead. After killing her friends, she finds herself in a game of love and lies. Confused by her own feelings, can she continue her plan in avenging her friends? Negan/OC/Rick
1. Chapter 1

Negan returned sooner than agreed upon. They had a week. A week to scavenge to the best of their abilities. A week to make sure they would live another week. After everything that had happened, the group needed time to recover. Time they wasted, it would now seem. They had nothing, apart from what they already owned. He would strip them bare.

There were so many of them. Rick pulled the gate open, the metal rumbling as it slid sideways. They had come in trucks, and with more fighters than their group had combined. More fighters meant more weapons. Everyone here wanted nothing more than to see Negan's head on a spike, but being outnumbered like they were, that would only result in the massacre of Alexandria. No one wanted that on their conscience.

Nora raised her hand above her eyes to get a better look. The sun was shining down hard, as was usually the case. Where she came from, summers were usually mellow, with the occasional hot day randomly in between. In the beginning, she had a hard time adapting to the new climate, and even after so long the heat could catch her by surprise.

Negan was accompanied by his weapon of choice: Lucille. Nora would never be able to get the image of the baseball bat, which was wrapped in barbed wire, crashing against their heads out of her mind. At night, it returned to her, and it reminded her every single time of what they had to do.

She crossed her arms in front of her chest. Nora was wearing high rise pair of jeans she had found way back at the beginning of all this. The fabric was getting thin in places, but it fit her like a glove, and finding clothing was beginning to get harder and harder so it had to do for now. Her combat boots she had retrieved off a dead soldier, and while they had been too big, she had grown used the size. Her simple black t-shirt was the only thing left that had been her own. Over time, it had been ripped in several places. To hide the wear, she tied it it behind her back, revealing a tiny line of skin just where her jeans ended and her shirt began.

Negan made a big deal out of having to kill a walker. It didn't help that Spencer had almost turned them away as well. From all the Alexandrians, he was her least favorite, finding he had gotten them in dangerous situations more often than not. He was a threat, and she had voiced her concern to Rick many times.

Her eyes fell on their leader. They had shared a bed for some time now, longer than she could remember. Never did either of them had ever put a label on it, and it didn't seem to matter either—not in a time like this. She flexed her fingers in and out of a fist when Negan handed him Lucille. _The audacity_ …

But Nora made herself take a deep breath and regained her composure. Negan was unpredictable, and she feared that just as much as a dirty look would set him off, and that was the opposite of what she wanted to achieve today. After thinking long and hard about it, spending every night since it happened awake, she came to the conclusion that this had to be done. And it had to be her.

Her finger twirled around a blonde lock of hair. The sunshine had made it even lighter, and with her slightly tan skin she looked like she came right off the beach. Little was true. She came from nowhere near a beach. She didn't even come from this continent.

"This place is magnificent!" Negan declared as he raised his arms in surprise.

Nora had always loved the prison, but even she had to admit that Alexandria was built for surviving something like this. They had running water, electricity, and a sturdy wall surrounding them. It was perfect, and she suddenly began to fear that Negan might be wanting to trade his place for this.

Then her eyes fell on Daryl. She had to suppress a gasp, as she took a step back instead. He looked bad. Very bad. The worst he had ever looked. They had dressed him in some kind of sweater, with the letter 'A' spray painted on the front. Negan had taken him prisoner as punishment, but also to keep their group in check. Hurt them and Daryl would die.

Daryl scared her. If this was the way Negan treated prisoners, things weren't looking up for her either. But then again, she had high hopes she would be more than a prisoner.

At command, Negan's fighters spread out in search for supplies. Rick announced they had set aside half of everything they owned, but how had they expected that Negan would simply agree with that? They would decide what would stay and what would go.

Most Alexandrians looked on in confusion, while they should be looking on in fear. Rick hadn't been that detailed when explaining what exactly had happened. They knew Abraham and Glenn had been killed. They knew something happened to Daryl, and they had also been told that Maggie hadn't survived the ordeal either. They had no idea what Negan was capable of, and Rick didn't want the morale to drop. Most of these people had little fighting experience, and he felt like he needed to protect them from the horrors of reality.

Negan wanted to be shown around. Nora kept her arms in front of her chest, trying to keep low until the right moment, and began to follow him and Rick. She hadn't told anyone of her plan—she didn't have the time to. Negan's unannounced visit had caught her by surprise, but she had to act now for it to be believable. She needed to gain his trust as soon as possible.

The way he was tormenting Rick… She could hardly keep herself in check. Her knife was burning on her hip, and even though her holster was empty, she would've gladly fired her revolver to make him shut up. When he started to talk about Maggie, she saw Rick's fingers flexing around the bat. He wanted his head just as much as anyone who had been there that night, and Nora could do nothing but hold her breath and hope that he too could contain himself.

She stayed behind when they went to visit Maggie's grave. They were starting to carry out stuff from the house she shared with Rick, and this was the moment she had to get in there to get the one thing she couldn't leave behind.

The back window in study was open. She always left it open for moments like this. Nora went around the back, opened it as softly as she could, peering inside if the room was clear, and then pulled herself inside. Judging by the sound coming from the living room, they were doing this room by room, which allowed her some time to sneak up the stairs.

On her toes, Nora headed up. While her most prized possession was of no value to anyone else but herself, she couldn't allow for it to get taken. She had stashed it in her backpack, the front pocket, and it seldom left that space. But now things were speeding along faster than she had hoped, she needed to get it. There was no way she could leave Alexandria without it.

She lowered herself on her knees as her fingers fumbled with the zipper. At last, she retrieved it, but she had no place to hide it on her body. Quickly, she pulled on a jacket—which was way too hot for this weather—and slid it in the hidden pocket on the inside she had sewn in there back in the prison.

Footsteps were coming up the stairs. Nora cursed under her breath as she looked around to hide. Would she get away with concealing herself under the bed? In silence, she shook her head, almost laughing at the ridiculousness of the idea. They were going to turn this place upside down, of course they would find her there.

And then a gunshot came from the living room. Carl was down there. She cursed again as she decided she couldn't hide in here and needed to check out whatever was happening. The people who had come up ran down as well, and Nora followed them close on their heels, hoping they would be too distracted to wonder why the hell she was in there.

It was Carl who had taken a shot at one of Negan's men. He eventually surrendered the gun to Rick, but then Negan decided that Alexandria had too many guns. This was bound to happen, whether Carl had snapped or not. Nora didn't blame him, and gave him an apologizing smile as she passed him and stood outside to see them going. She pondered if they were actually going to leave behind half of the guns like they promised.

"They're just taking all of our stuff!" Carl exclaimed. Nora had seen the boy grow up, and the past time he had grown even faster than before. It had gotten to the point where he was no longer afraid of anything, and that scared her.

"I know," Nora replied, nodding slowly. She then turned himself to him. "Don't you worry. We'll get our revenge."

And then news spread they were missing two guns in the armory. Nora's heart sank, fully aware that if those guns didn't turn up within the next hour bad things would happen. Negan was the kind of guy who wouldn't let something like this slide. Besides, he couldn't afford to. Two guns were all that was necessary to kill him.

Rick called all the residents to meet him in the church. This matter needed to be solved as quick as possible, and Negan was starting to get impatient.

"A glock 9 and a .22," he spoke. "That is what they are looking for. Who was it?"

Nora felt his eyes burning on her skin. She looked up, knowing the reputation she had. Yes, she was often the one in the past who would hide weapons, both out there, and on herself. They were always glad for her ability to do so. It saved their skin a few times. But this time, it wasn't her. She looked him in the eye, and shook her head slightly, letting him know she wishes it had been her and she would know the location.

No one in the church knew where the guns were. They also didn't understand why Rick was giving in to those people. Nora wanted to scream. They lost Abraham and Glenn. They were pretending they also lost Maggie. Wasn't it clear to them? Did she have to tell them how they died in excruciating detail? Did she really have to describe the way Abraham's skull was caved in, or how Glenn's hand still twitched as he was slowly dying in the dirt.

"Let me make this very clear to you," Rick then said, his voice rising above the others. "I'm not in charge anymore. Negan is."

Nora let his words sink in. Rick had always been in charge, even back at the prison. While there had been a council, people always turned to Rick when the shit hit the fan. He was a natural at it too, and to see that even he realized he was no longer in control meant something. It meant that she had to stop this from happening. She had to continue with her plan.

"Not everyone is here," Eugene then noted.

He was right. In the commotion they had forgotten that Rosita and Spencer both had left. Michonne had gone out as well, but it looked like she hadn't checked out any guns at the armory. If no one in this church had done it, it had to be either of them, and Nora already had a sneaky suspicion that Spencer might be the one hiding the guns.

Rick instructed everyone to keep looking, and the residents dispersed over Alexandria again. Nora waited until the rest was gone to speak to Rick.

"Has to be Spencer," she told him, her voice low. "Never trusted that guy anyway."

Rick nodded. "Yeah, that was my guess as well."

"Let's find it before Negan's guys do."

As she pondered, her feet carried her to the kitchen. In the study, she could Rick speak to Gabriel, but she didn't want to be distracted from the search. Aaron came in with the news that Rosita's house search turned up empty. Nora knew Rosita would never do such a thing. She wouldn't be so careless, but Spencer on the other hand… It became increasingly apparent he didn't have the experience they had. And Nora regretted that he hadn't been with them on the night Negan took out Abraham and Glenn. Perhaps he would've learned.

"Kitchen is empty," she spoke as the entered the room Rick had turned upside down. He ran his fingers through his hair, and she could see the desperation in his eyes. Olivia would be killed if they wouldn't find anything, and she didn't deserve this.

She wanted to continue to speak, but her eyes followed Rick's as he suddenly looked down. His foot had hit something. The ventilation duct, leading into the ground. It kept the house warm during the winter, and cool during the summer. The shaft was big. _That's where I would hide my gun_ , Nora just realized.

Quickly, she shuffled closer, as Rick bent down on his knee. He pulled the top off, and reached in. He first retrieved canned food, many cans of them. Nora cursed his name. _That asshole_. Then a bottle of liquor, half empty. They had found his hideout, and neither of them believed he was just hiding food in there.

Rick pressed himself against the ground as his arm tried to reach in as far as he could. Then, he pulled up a silk black drawstring bag. He fumbled with the opening, but they both knew what was inside. The two guns hit the carpet as he held the bag upside down. He had stolen them. Did he really think no one would ever find out? And even so, Rick always had a very lenient weapons policy, why hide them?

He sighed in relief.

"Fucker," Nora said, rolling her eyes. He always had a way to ruin the situation for everyone else.

"Let's get it to them," Rick replied, gathering the guns. "Quick."

One of Negan's men was belittling Enid outside. They had her balloons. Like her own possession, these items were worthless to Negan, but worth everything to Enid. Nora felt her blood boiling. Enid was Carl's age, and still a kid. The way the guy ran his finger along her cheek made her scowl in disgust, and for a moment she almost let herself go. Rick could just step in front of her in time to grab her by her arm.

"They'll be gone soon."

Negan was delighted the guns had turned up, and it took a load of everyone's shoulder as well. Everyone anxiously followed them to the gate in anticipation of their departure. Nora's finger twirled around her hair again. Goosebumps had formed on her skin, even though she was slowly melting away in that jacket. This was her moment. She had to do it soon.

But then Michonne turned up. Rick retrieved her gun as well, despite it not being on the list of the armory and Negan was unaware of its existence. Luckily, his actions were taken well, and Negan was happy he had turned in the gun nevertheless.

"Now that you know we can follow your rules," Rick started. "I'd like to ask you if Daryl can stay."

If there ever was a moment, this was the perfect one. Nora took a step forward, mentally preparing herself for the task at hand and everyone's reactions. She doubted anyone was going to take this well, and that was just part of her plan.

"Not happenin'," Negan replied, with the same bemused smile he always had. But then he suddenly changed his mind. Anytime he could make a game out of a situation, he would. "You know what? I don't know. Maybe Daryl can plead his case. Maybe Daryl can sway me."

"Take me."

Nora's voice sounded shakier than she would've liked. Her cheeks were starting to glow, and she hoped her tan would hide some of it. This wasn't the time she could afford to look nervous.

She had taken Negan by surprise. In fact, everyone had fallen silent. He took a step forward towards her, never losing eye contact was. His smile returned again as he considered her words.

"I'll go with you."

"No," Negan simply stated, but Nora was going to plead her case like Daryl was supposed to. She knew he was never going to make the trade. In comparison to Daryl, she looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Little did he know what she was capable of, and little did he know that she wasn't here to trade.

"I'm not asking to take Daryl's place. I want to go with you. Voluntarily."

"Nora, what are you doing?" Rick hissed from behind her. He wanted to grab her arm, but Nora pulled away and took a step forward towards Negan. She suddenly grew very aware that Rick was still holding Lucille.

"And why the fuck would you want that?"

"You know the saying. If you can't beat them, join them."

This was as far as her plan went. Offer herself to Negan. The only thing she could do then was await his response. Either he would take her with him, or he would laugh, and leave her behind, and then she would have to explain to the rest that she's not really a traitor. Would they ever trust her again?

"Name one good reason why I should allow you to come with me?" Negan said, running his eyes up and down her body as if he was checking her out.

"I'm a good fighter. You'll find me very useful."

She went with the fighter-case, rather than the poor-me-case. If there was anything she had learned, it was that Negan preferred balls over pity. He didn't seem to fall for the sad-little-girl-lost-alone-in-the-woods scenario. She had to play her cards right.

"I have enough fighters," Negan mused. He let his eyes scan her once again. "But I'll have another offer for you. One that would really test your loyalty to _me_."

Nora didn't dare to look behind her. She didn't want to see the heartbreak in Rick's eyes. The disappointment in Carl's. The disgust in Michonne's. The confusion in Eugene's. If she looked behind her she wouldn't be able to continue forward.

"I'll do anything."

Negan chuckled darkly, and she wasn't sure whether to interpret that as good or bad. Instead, she patiently awaited whatever he had to offer her, and hope it wasn't something like being a cleaner for his community. In order for this to work, she had to gain his trust. The only way to do that was to be as close to him as possible.

"Would you like to become my wife? I'll offer you protection, food, clothing." Negan raised his eyebrows and licked his lips at the same time. "In return, I just need you to be available."

 _Available_. Nora wasn't stupid. She knew what that meant. But if she wanted to get close, this was as close as she was going to get. Proposing to a a person he hardly knew, felt a little weird, but then again, Negan was no standard guy. Perhaps this was all a test to see how far she would go. To see if she was remotely serious about this.

She closed her eyes for a mere second. "Yes," she then said. "I'll accept."

"Nora, what the fuck are you doing?" she heard Rick hiss again, but Negan intervened.

"Now Rick, I understand this might seem awkward, with her being your girlfriend and all, but I must have to ask you to step away from my _fiancé_."

Her muscles were frozen and her feet were stuck to the ground. If she allowed her eyes to meet with his she would hesitate and back off. Once she would find the opportunity to let him know what her intentions were, he would understand. But for now, she needed everyone to think she was betraying them.

"Nora," Rick tried again. "Noor."

Her real name. His pronunciation was off, yet it stung the same. She had hoped he would've let her go more easily, but what did she expect? They had been through a lot of shit together, and she did truly love him with all her heart. Negan was dragging this out for as long as he could, thriving on the pain that she had caused him.

She felt tears welling up in her eyes. She couldn't be vulnerable. This was what she wanted. At least, that was he had to believe.

Negan read the situation and spoke again. "Let's pack up, guys. Before my fiancé might change her mind."

One of his fighters took her by her arm, and led her away to a truck. He didn't even allow her to gather some of her stuff, and she was glad she had already gotten the one thing she couldn't leave behind.

Her heart was pounding uncontrollably as she got into the truck, surrounded by men she didn't know. It reminded her of the situations she had gotten into before she met Rick and was admitted to his group. Those instances, it hadn't ended particularly well for her, and she could only hope that Negan still had a humane bone left in his body.

The truck was parked towards Alexandria. Nara kept her gaze fixed on the dashboard the entire time, both in shame and in fear. It was hard to make out anything Negan was saying, but then, just before her driver was going to start the engine, she caught the following:

"In case you haven't caught on, I just slipped my dick down your throat, and you thanked me for it."

* * *

 **A/N:** I wrote this chapter in the spur of the moment. I was finally able to watch season 7 of The Walking Dead, and I just knew I had to write a story about Negan. My intention was to write it from the start of season 4 and the prison, up and until this moment, but I was loving Negan so much that I wanted to skip straight ahead to this. If this story catches on, I would love to do a 'prequel' and write the story of how Nora came to be with the group and into a relationship with Rick. (This also means that there are some obvious changes made from the show. Richonne isn't a thing. Oh, and even though they can't swear on AMC, I can in my story :D)

Anyway, this story is rated T, but will contain some mature themes. However, this will all be nothing new or surprising if you watch the show.

Please let me know your thoughts, and I will try to write the next chapter as soon as I can. Take care guys!


	2. Chapter 2

The factory loomed in the distance. Smoke came from the fire stacks, rising high up into the sky. The exterior was dull, grey, and dilapidated. For a place dubbed _The Sanctuary_ , Nora had expected something more. It did not look like a sanctuary at all, even the prison they had stayed in looked better. She told herself not to judge too soon. Perhaps it looked better on the inside.

A perimeter of walkers were set up around the factory, serving as an extra fence. Cars were parked out in the front, many of them, a reflection of how many more people she would encounter inside. They had seriously underestimated the size and scope of Negan's operation. They had never come across a community this big and this well organized.

The fence opened, and all the trucks pulled up to the side of the building. Her eyes scanned every possible exit, trying to remember how to leave if she ever wanted or needed to escape. So far, the only entry seemed to be the gate which she guessed was guarded at all times. There was no way she would cross the barbed wired fence, plus another wall made of the dead without dying.

Still, she kept her eyes and ears open. Her drivers were joking around, and Nora pretended she wasn't there. Sitting in between them, she didn't feel at ease. Her fingers fumbled with the hem of her t-shirt, and she nervously began to tap with her foot. What the hell had she gotten herself in to…

Their truck came to a halt with screeching tires. Nora had to steady herself not to slide off her seat, and rolled her eyes as she pushed herself backwards. They had done that on purpose. Still, she kept her mouth shut. There was no point in picking a fight the minute she arrived. Negan needed to actually like her in order for her plan to work.

The first henchman got out of the truck, the other one leaving on his side. She slid over to the passenger's side, which was closest to the door heading in. As she turned her legs to step out from the high truck, Negan appeared in front of her.

"Welcome to the Sanctuary, dear fiancée."

He offered her his hand, that ever present smirk playing on his lips. Nora accepted his hand, and with his help she landed softly on the ground.

"It is not as luxurious as Alexandria, but you'll find it comfortable enough."

Negan didn't let go over hand, his fingers wrapped tightly around her palm. She couldn't appear scared, so instead of pulling away she allowed him to pull her towards the door. He began to instruct his men to take away the supplies they had been offered and store them accordingly.

Before they entered the Sanctuary, Negan stopped, turned, and let go of her hand. His fingers found the knife that was hanging from her hip and took it out of its sleeve. For a moment, he admired the blade, and then let his eyes meet with Nora's.

"You will not need this anymore."

He removed the sleeve from her belt, put the knife back in place, and threw it to one of his henchmen.

"What, you don't trust me with it?" Nora challenged. It were the first words she had spoken, and although she knew she shouldn't be so defying, not until she had assessed the situation to her best extent, parting with her beloved knife, as well as her gun, was hard. It was as if he was ripping a part away from her. Her ability to fight was gone.

Negan smiled, narrowing his eyes as he tried to read her expression. At least he wasn't angry at her for talking back in such a matter.

"Well, I am not 100% sold on your intentions just yet. But I'm sure we'll get to know each other a little better."

Nora forced a smile on her lips as well and watched Negan open the door inside. It was dark, and she couldn't see anything besides a faint light at the end. There went her hopes that it would look better in there than it did on the outside.

"Ladies first," Negan said, motioning with his hand that she should enter, before following her closely. She felt his fingers on the small of her back, sending shivers up and down her spine.

She continued walking. Negan steered her in the direction he wanted her to go and led her through the Sanctuary. Each hallway they passed were as dark and grim as the last one. There were lots of doors, but no way of knowing what was behind them until she would check them out personally. Nora looked out for something that looked like an armory, but the darkness concealed much of the factory.

Like the prison, the Sanctuary was a maze of similar looking hallways, rooms, and staircases. Nora tried to remember the way they had come in, but after another turn, and another corner, and another staircase leading down, she couldn't keep track anymore. Was Negan deliberately taking a detour to disorient her?

Finally, he pulled at the sleeve of her jacket and they stopped in front of a door that looked as similar as every other one. Negan nodded she should enter, but Nora hesitated for a moment. Her hand rested on the doorknob, not sure what was stopping her from turning it.

"Come on, I'm not going to murder my fiancée," Negan said. He placed his own hand over hers, and turned. It was as if he was saying she could trust him. "That's cruel, even for me."

Another hallway was revealed, but this one looked very different. It seemed like they had entered what was the office block when the factory was still functioning. The walls were painted a solid white, and the doors lining the way were made out of wood rather than cast iron. The floor was no longer made out of concrete, but marbled tiles. This was the interior she had hoped for. Her spirits lifted as they continued. Perhaps this would't be too bad.

Negan then took the lead. He steered her inside a bedroom, which was furnished to an even better taste than her house in Alexandria had been. The kingsize bed was fitted with silk sheets and soft pillows. While the window outside was opaque, thick curtains adorned the side of them, tying the room together.

"I'll give you a moment to clean up and get settled," Negan spoke. "There's fresh clothes in the closet, please be a dear and wear them."

A devious smirk unraveled on his lips. Nora had no idea what that meant, but she was sure she would soon find out.

"See you soon, fiancée."

He then caught her completely by surprise. Negan took a step forward and let his lips brush her cheek, his beard scratching against her skin. She wanted to push him away, scold him, slap him across the face, but Nora knew she couldn't. This was the man she was going to marry, and it had been her own choice. If she wanted to murder him, he had to believe she loved him. He had to trust her, and she wasn't going to win any love if she would shy away from affection.

Negan bit his lip, gleefully watching Nora's reaction, which she tried to keep as neutral as she possibly could. _Don't show the disgust_ , she told herself. _Don't show him you loathe every inch of his body._

Seemingly satisfied, he left her behind. The room grew eerily quiet as his footsteps disappeared in the distance. The glass windows cast a yellow light on the ground, and for a moment Nora was stuck to the ground. She flexed her fingers, taking in a deep breath as she finally processed what had happened.

She was to marry a murderer. A psychopath who loved bashing brains in with a baseball bat. Never had she anticipated he would propose to her. Nora didn't even realize that was an option when she was hatching her plan, but then again, she truly didn't know Negan apart from the dictator who came in to steal away their stuff and murdered her friends in cold blood as a supposed lesson.

 _Get over it_ , she instructed herself. _This is what you wanted. You'll kill him in due time. He'll get what he deserved_. Besides, she suspected that the marriage wasn't legally binding, not in today's world anyway. No harm would truly be done, right?

Nora took off her jacket and went on to explore the room. The bed was larger and softer than anything she was used to, and when she opened the closet she found more clothing she had ever dreamed of owning. A row of high heeled shoes lined the bottom shelf, and when she took a closer look she noticed they were all very high-end brands.

In fear of temptation, she closed the closet and took a step back. She couldn't let herself be enticed by shoes. The old her would've done anything to own just one pair of those heels, but she wasn't that person anymore. Nora couldn't allow herself to be that person. The world was slowly dying, she couldn't get excited about shoes.

The room had an ensuite bathroom, which even contained a bathtub. Everything looked freshly renovated, and Nora had no idea where he would've found the time, no less the equipment and manpower, to do such a thing.

She returned to the closet, her fingers running along all the dresses which were inside. And they were dresses _only_. It had been a while since she had worn one, the last time she could actively remember was during the welcome party when they first had arrived at Alexandria. It had felt strange on her then, and she would expect it would feel as strange again today. Dresses made her feel normal, and she didn't want to feel normal.

In the end, she settled on the most conservative dress she could find. A red one, with pleads in the skirt which came to just below her knees. It covered her back, and allowed for just a modest amount of cleavage while showing off her waist. She decided she would pick out her shoes later.

Nora took the dress in the bathroom. There were bath towels waiting for her, as well as a bar of soap, shampoo, and a razor. She took it as a hint, and placed everything on the side of the bath, letting it run full as she began to strip herself of her clothing. While they had running water at Alexandria, soap was scarce. No one was ever truly clean, and they had gotten used to that.

It took her about half an hour to scrub the dirt of her skin, wash her hair thoroughly several times, and shave every inch of her body. She didn't want to give Negan any reason to pick on her. She needed to be as perfect to him as she possibly could. The quicker he would fall for her, the sooner she could get the hell out of here.

As she waited for her hair to dry wrapped up in a towel and had put on her dress in the meantime, she discovered a cabinet hanging above the sink. It was hidden behind a mirror, and when she opened it she found it full with more supplies. Deodorant, make-up, _shit_ , there was even a box of tampons in here. How considerate.

Sticking to her plan in not wanting to disappoint, Nora put on some mascara. Once upon a time, she was actually quite good with make-up, but with her hair still wet she didn't want to look like a drowned cat with smears of black around her eyes. Just a little bit of lipgloss finished the look.

With the back of her hand she cleared the mirror from the fog, admiring her look. She scarcely recognized herself. Even with a little bit of make-up, and a magnificent red dress, she looked like she was a movie star. She then decided that dresses didn't make her feel normal at all.

She twisted her damp hair in a bun against the nape of her neck, looking one more time in the mirror, whispering to herself that she could do this and everything would be alright. This was going to work out. If she believed it hard enough, then it would.

Nora let out an audible gasp when she returned to her bedroom and found Negan sitting on the edge of her bed. He had taken off his leather jacket and red scarf, wearing only a white t-shirt. Her eyes immediately searched for Lucille, wanting to keep a close watch of the weapon at all time, but it appeared the baseball bat wasn't here.

"Look at you," Negan smiled. He held up his hand and motioned for Nora to spin around, which she did so. "I was right to spot the potential in you. You'll make a fine wife."

She bit her lip and tried to fake a convincing smile before proceeding to the closet to pick out a pair of shoes.

"You should wear the silver ones," Negan spoke from the bed. "With the straps."

Her eyes went from him, to the row of shoes, and settled on the pair he wanted her to wear. She then sat besides him on the edge of her bed, and began to put them on. To her surprise, they fitted perfectly.

"So," Negan started, sucking on his lip. His gaze was dominant, and she couldn't pull away from him. "It would be awkward for me to marry you without at least knowing a little about each other, right?"

Nora nodded.

"And my men found something _very_ interesting about you."

Again, she tried to keep her expression as neutral as possible. From the corner of her eyes she saw that her jacket was still hanging on the one chair on the room in the exact same position as she left it. He wouldn't have found that, would he?

Negan reached for his back pocket, and pulled out a burgundy booklet with gold letterings on the front. _Her passport_. It had been in het backpack, and was worthless today, but it wasn't worthless to Negan. It basically offered him her history, all on one page.

"The Netherlands, huh?" he spoke as he began to flip through the passport. There weren't many stamps in there. She didn't travel much before it happened. "You wouldn't tell, judging from your accent."

"I've been trying to cover it up. I didn't want anyone to know that I wasn't from around here."

Negan nodded, pursing his lips together. "Smart. You fooled me, which means you did a good job."

He then tried his hand at pronouncing her real name. Nora quickly took over, wanting to get this done as quickly as possible.

"Noor van der Steen," she explained, her Dutch accent returning to her. The name felt unfamiliar to her. No one ever called her like that. It belonged to the person she used to be. "But please, call me Nora. It's easier."

"Why are you still holding onto this?" Negan asked, holding the passport in the air, twirling it around.

"Sentimental reasons, I guess."

"I gotta ask you something. Why the fuck would you do something like this? Could Rick not satisfy your needs?"

She knew that he was dying to hear that Rick couldn't get it up, or something similar like that. Negan would grab any opportunity to humiliate him with both hands.

"I'm a realist," Nora explained. "I gotta do what's best for me. I didn't expect a marriage proposal, but it makes sense."

"You don't seem very happy about it."

"I don't know you."

"Yet you want to marry me."

They never lost eye contact as they spoke. The tension between them was growing. Conversing with Negan was perhaps one of the hardest things she had ever done. He was unpredictable as hell, and she feared for every word that rolled off her tongue.

"I want to be able to live," Nora finally replied.

"And you're willing to leave Rick behind?"

It was as if he was waiting for her to slip up. This was most definitely a test to question her loyalty, and motives. This was a dangerous game she was playing, but it was too late to turn back. The damage had already been done.

"I lost everyone I cared about a long time ago. I have no one here. Rick and I, we had a marriage of convenience."

"Well, let's hope this one can be more," Negan replied suggestively, his eyebrows raising as she saw his tongue pushing against his front teeth. He was so close to her now that she could smell the cologne lingering on his skin.

Nora nodded. "Yeah, let's hope."

He seemed to be satisfied with her answers. Negan's fingers found her knee through the fabric of the dress and gave a little squeeze.

"Now that this is settled, it's time to meet the other wives!"

Her brain stopped working for a second there. _Other wives?_ What the fuck did that mean?

"There are others?" she managed to get out, her brows ruffling.

"Oh yes," Negan said, his voice proud.

She wanted to protest, but she couldn't. The truth was, she couldn't care less whether Negan had any other wives, but this would complicate her plan. If she wasn't the only woman vying for his attention, then how was she going to get close to him?

"Is that a problem?" he asked, his smile disappeared as he enunciated his words slowly.

"I had no idea this was part of the deal," Nora said. "I don't like to share."

"You'll get used to it," Negan replied.

The mood switched again, and he took her by her hand and pulled her off the bed.

"They'll be dying to meet you."

Before she could protest any further, Negan led her to another room in the hallway. The entrance was guarded by two doors, rather than one, and when they got in, it was revealed to be a large living room. It was decorated more conservatively than her bedroom was. The couches were old, and looked like they belonged in a manor rather than in a factory. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and in the back she spotted a bar filled with liquor.

And then her eyes fell on the wives. Nora counted six of them. They were sitting on the couches, playing board games, reading magazines that had to be at least a year old. None of them looked particularly happy to be here. _Six wives. Six women to compete with_. And god damn, they were beautiful. Like her, they were wearing dresses made out of the finest fabrics. Their feet were bound by the most beautiful shoes, and unlike Nora, they had bothered to do their hair and make-up properly.

She wanted to curse. These women looked perfect, and there here she was, covered in bruises, scars, and scratches. In this state, she wasn't even in the same league as them. While she felt beautiful in her dress, they seemed to be on another level. It became increasingly apparent that they were devoting most of their time on looking gorgeous for Negan.

In that moment, it dawned on her that she needed a different strategy. While she wasn't the most ugly woman in the entire apocalypse, her strength wasn't particularly in her looks, but rather in her strength. Still, the made a mental note to put this dress in the back of the closet and only wear the ones that would show off her waist, ass, and breasts at the same time.

"Ladies," Negan said, and his wives obligingly stopped what they were doing and turned themselves to her. "I would like you all to meet my new fiancée."

She felt her eyes checking her out like Negan had done so back at Alexandria. Nora crossed her leg over the other to hide the worst bruises.

"Please, be _very_ nice to her."

The fact that he had to warn them was either a trick to make them seem hostile, or truly necessary. She wasn't here to make friends, in fact, it would be better if she wouldn't get too close to any of the wives at all. They could only pose a threat to her plans. But on the other hand, she didn't want them to hate her and turn Negan against her.

Nora held up her hand and waved awkwardly, not sure what the protocol was here. She also wondered who wife number one was, and her bets were on the dark-haired woman in the back. She was the most beautiful of all of them, and the way she had crossed her arms in front of her chest Nora noted she wasn't happy. _Hell, I wouldn't be happy either if my husband kept on bringing other women home to add to his harem._

Negan then introduced them all one by one, but Nora had already forgotten their names when he got to the final wife (she remembered her as Sherry). They were all American, unlike her, and probably from around here. She needed to use her different background to her advantage, anything she could use to set her apart.

"I'm going to give my wife-to-be a tour of the factory," he spoke, turning himself to Sherry. "Please make sure dinner is waiting for us when we return, dear."

He placed his hand on the small of her back again and gently pushed her out of the room and back into the maze of hallways. She let him guide her as she tried to make a mental map of the place. Sooner or later she had to find her way in here by herself.

"Now I know what you might be thinking," Negan began, his voice echoing through the hallway. "They didn't look too happy. I want you to know, all of my wives are there by choice, just like you. I don't want anyone there who doesn't want to be there. They are free to leave at any given moment if that's what they desire."

So he did have some morals left, as skewed as they were. They both knew that those women would stand no chance outside of the gates of the factory, and even though she knew little about Negan, she doubted he would let them live happily in the Sanctuary on their own. He would probably give them the shittiest jobs he had to offer.

"That offer also stands for you."

He made her stop, and forced her to look at him. "You're free to go, whenever you please."

"I'll remember that," Nora replied. She promised herself she would only leave this prison with Negan's body in a bag so she could offer him to her friends at Alexandria. Not any sooner.

"Now." His gleeful expression returned to him. "Watch this."

They headed into what looked like the laundromat. Big steaming tubs of water were scattered around the place. Several people were stirring the clothing around in the water, while another heated pots over a fire. Another was trying to get blood out of white clothing with what smelled like bleach. There was nothing particularly special about the room itself, but what was was what happened when the workers spotted Negan.

They all stopped what they were doing, literally dropping their jobs, and went down on one knee as they bowed their heads. They were fucking kneeling for him. Like he was a king. They didn't move either, not until Negan told them to carry on.

Nora couldn't believe her eyes. She had encountered cannibals, rapists, and murderers before, but never before had she met a leader who was worshipped by his people to the point that they saw him as their king. This was scary behavior, even considering everything else she had seen.

"Cool, huh?" Negan said with a smile. He was trying to impress her, and _hell_. It worked. This was unlike anything she had ever seen.

They continued through the Sanctuary. Negan explain the point system to her, which was basically a new form of currency. The rules were needed to keep everyone in check, and make their society work. Nora just nodded along, noting that it made sense. Yet no one seemed happy. Not the wives, not the workers, no one she encountered smiled. Except for Negan, he seemed as delighted as always. It was easy to tell he thrived off this kind of power.

"And this is where we keep our prisoners," he stated matter-of-factly.

Nora felt her chest tightening. There was one prisoner she knew. One prisoner who had seen what she had done. One prisoner whom she desperately wanted to stay clear of until she could tell him her plan.

"Look who we have here! Daryl and Dwighty-Boy!"

She closed her eyes as she cursed to herself. It would be just her luck to run into him. She couldn't believe that this was a coincidence. Negan had planned this.

From what she had seen, normally, Daryl kept his gaze firmly to the ground, but now he was actively searching for contact. Nora couldn't ignore him. She let their eyes meet, trying her best to look as apologetic as she could without giving anything away to Negan and Dwight, but Daryl didn't seem to notice anything.

Instead, he spit on the ground. Right before her feet.

Negan's elated expression changed within a split second and Nora had to move in front of him to stop him from doing something.

"No! He didn't mean it!"

She had her hand on his chest, struggling to find the words to speak. She couldn't appear to protect Daryl, yet she didn't want him to get hurt..

"You do _not_ disrespect my fiancée like that," Negan said, raising his voice.

Nora kept her hand on his chest as she tried to push him back a little. Negan had his hands curled into fists. While she stopped him, she had no control over what Dwight did, and the sound of him punching Daryl in the stomach made her turn on her heel.

Daryl made no sound. Before Dwight could do anything further, Nora had to speak up.

"Stop!"

She spun again to address Negan.

"My betrayal is punishment enough."

He let out a low chuckle. "You still have a soft spot for him. Understandable. You've been together for a long time. But still, I cannot accept this. You are to be my wife. That demands respect."

Daryl remained on the floor with Dwight holding onto him by his collar.

"Put him back in the hole."

She wanted to ask what that meant, but she didn't dare to. The fact that he didn't kill Daryl right on the spot was already quite something. Anything else she would say could only make matters worse. Nora could only hope that Daryl saw her sticking up for him as a sign. A sign that she wasn't here because she wanted to be with Negan. A sign that she was here to kill him.

Dwight nodded and pulled him up, practically dragging him behind him as they headed in the opposite direction.

Nora carefully looked up to Negan, anticipating his mood. And then, his expression shifted again. He smiled and laced his fingers through Nora's.

"Let's see if dinner is ready!"

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you all for the follows and alerts, and a special thank you to Cappiesgirl23 for reviewing! I really appreciate it.

Hopefully you all enjoyed this chapter and until next time :D I'll try to upload again as soon as possible!


	3. Chapter 3

Negan didn't want to see his bride before the wedding day. What was both a blessing and a curse, their wedding day was planned for the day after her arrival at the Sanctuary. In the meantime, Nora was confined to the bedroom that was supposedly hers. She figured she was allowed to leave, but she wasn't sure yet of where her freedom ended. Was she allowed to roam around the factory? Stay inside the office quarter? Could she go beyond the gates? She had no idea, and didn't want to make a risky move on the day of her wedding.

Another factor for hiding in her room was the other wives. They scared her. They had the advantage of the group, and Nora had no idea what the usual protocol for a thing like this was. She had never been married before, let alone have any sister-wives. What was she going to talk about with them anyway? They would probably view her as a threat as much as she would them.

To kill some time, Nora began to plan her wedding outfit. She went through all the dresses in her closet, finally deciding on the only white one in there. Even though she was far from pure, and the conditions of the marriage left much to be desired, it was still a wedding.

She opened one of the drawers she hadn't opened yet, finding it full of lingerie. Most of the bras and panties were made of lace, and the fabric felt delicate under her fingers. She had seen stuff like this at houses when they were out on runs, but she always left stuff like this behind. Before she had come here the only pieces of clothing she would wear were practical, and a lace bra was far from that.

When she had decided on a pair of shoes and how to wear her hair, Nora decided to just go to bed. It had been a long and eventful day, and she needed some time to process what had happened, and what was going to happen tomorrow.

She was marrying Negan. The idea alone was enough to mortify her. The fact that it would soon become reality scared her to death. Nora comforted herself with the fact that the other wives looked well-fed and were free of any injuries. It appeared that at least he was treating them well. She could only hope she would receive the same treatment.

Rick haunted her in her dreams. He cursed her name, tears rolling down his cheek. The group had scarcely dealt with the deaths of Abraham and Glenn, and then she betrayed them in the worst possible way she ever could.

When she awoke, she felt tears of her own. She needed to get back to Alexandria, and soon. She needed to find a way to let Rick know that she was doing this for the group. For everyone. She was going to avenge her friends. She just needed some time.

A knock on the door startled her. It was a woman's voice, but she couldn't judge to whom it belonged.

"Negan expects you to be ready in an hour," a wife spoke. "If you need any help please let us know."

That last part was probably more a formality. Nora didn't need any help anyway. These were the final moments of her life that she was still herself, an unmarried woman, trying to survive. She wanted to be alone for as long as she could for she knew that after today… everything would change.

It took her a couple of times before she found lingerie that fit, and in the end she gave up and settled on a white bra which had see-through cups made of expensive-looking lace. The cup was slightly too small, but she didn't think Negan would mind. In the back of the drawer she found a matching pair of panties, and put that on as well.

Then came the dress. Nora had no idea where they had found these kinds of clothing, but figured they must have raided some of the more wealthy neighborhoods. On the label she read that the silk came from France, and somehow the fact that she wore something that came from Europe made her feel a little bit safer.

The dress was made to be a wedding dress. It covered her back, had fluted sleeves with flower appliqués at the end. The neckline revealed her cleavage (as seemed to be the trend), and she tied the wrap of the dress tightly around her waist, creating a bow on the left side of her body. Her leg poked through the slit at the same time, and after seeing the state of her legs Nora proceeded towards the bathroom to find foundation or concealer to try and cover some the bruises.

She tried her hand at doing some eyeshadow, but kept it to the minimum in fear of looking like a clown. Nora used the same lipgloss as before, and put her hair up in loose ponytail. Her hair had natural waves, and she wrapped a piece of hair around the elastic, covering it and securing it with a bobby pin.

There was no denying that she actually truly looked like a bride. After this entire thing began, Nora never expected that she would ever be marrying someone. It seemed pointless as well, with no upholding law. Yet here she was. And she wasn't marrying Rick, someone she actually loved, but a monster.

Time was running out. She still had to put on her shoes (golden ones this time) and touch up her make-up one more time. The nerves were spreading throughout her body. No turning back now.

There was another knock at her door. It was time.

One of the younger wives accompanied her to the living room. _Amber_ , her name was, she remembered. Her eyes were kind, and apologetic. If Nora had any sensible bone in her body, that would've been enough warning.

Instead, they continued walking in silence, and just as they were about to turn the corner, music began playing. Wagner's Bridal Chorus. How perfectly corny. _Where did he even get this music?_

Nora hesitated for a moment, but when Amber nodded it was okay, she pushed through and headed in.

She didn't have any flowers to hold, nor a veil hiding away her face, yet she had to hand it to Negan; this felt like a wedding. The entire place was emptied, all the furniture placed against the walls. They had decorated the windows with white banners, presumably made from old scraps of fabric. In the middle of the room, they had created a make shift aisle. On either side stood the wives, as well as some of Negan's lieutenants (who looked incredibly out of place).

At the end stood the man himself. She had expected him in a suit, but wasn't surprised either when she found him just in signature white t-shirt and his leather jacket. In the corner of the room she spotted the baseball bat. Even Lucille was part of the festivities.

Negan seemed delighted. His smile widened when he saw Nora, and he rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

Nora found a light smile trembling on her lips. She couldn't deny that Negan's was very infectious, and she could almost laugh at the ridiculousness of the entire situation. They only knew each other for literally about two days.

There was no one walking her down the aisle, and she was relieved when she finally reached the end of it.

He bit his lip, cocking one eyebrow as he eyed her up and down. That settled her nerves a bit. At least he was impressed by the way she looked, and that meant something considering the company she was in.

She didn't recognize the guy marrying them. He was a lot older than she was, a slightly balding. He seemed to be as excited as Negan was.

"We are gathered here today to witness the union of Negan and…" He was at a loss, nobody had told him her name.

"Nora," Negan quickly said, shooting her an apologizing smile. But the damage had already been done. She was just a number here. One of Negan's seven wives. It would take a lot of work to set herself apart, but this was her life now, and she accepted that challenge.

"Nora," the supposed-minister repeated, "in holy matrimony. Into this estate these two per—"

"Cut to the good part," Negan said, he was impatiently tapping his foot.

The minister looked a bit startled, but obliged anyway. "Do you, Negan, take Nora to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

There were no rings. After the dress and the decorations she had almost expected them.

"I do," Negan smirked.

"And Nora, do you take Negan to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do," she also repeated without thinking.

The minister smiled. "Then I pronounce you husband and wife! You may now kiss the bride."

 _Oh, fuck_. She had forgotten about that part.

Before she could protest, Negan had already taken a step forward. He had his hands on her waist, and leaned in. His lips brushed against hers softly at first, as if he was awaiting her reaction, as if it was a test.

Nora closed her eyes in response. There were about a dozen people watching them, she couldn't humiliate him in front of them. That would end up being costly. She remembered Lucille in the corner of the room. _Very costly_.

She kissed him back. It disgusted her. The lips of a psychopathic murderer. But it was alright, it was part of her plan. Her hand cupped his face, his beard scratching against her skin. Warmth was spreading throughout her cheeks, but she figured she could pass it off as fluster rather than nerves.

The onlookers roared and yelled in support. Negan broke off the kiss first, and she couldn't help but see that she had impressed him yet again. She suddenly began to worry if she was _too_ willingly. Should she fight him more? Would he suspect she didn't mean any of this?

"Simon, get me a fucking drink!" Negan said.

"Yes sir!"

The wedding chorus changed in an outdated dance beat. The onlookers started to mingle with each other, and the other wives immediately banded together and watched her from a distance. Awkwardness was growing as Negan disappeared behind the bar to help Simon pour the liquor. There was no one here who she could trust, and no one who seemed to actually want to talk to her.

Sticking to Negan was her only option, as weirdly as it sounded. Nora shuffled towards the bar, accepting the drink he put in front of her. She had no idea what it was, but as she downed it in one go it hurt her esophagus all the same.

"You sure you can handle it?" Negan asked in response to Nara's pained expression, his eyebrow cocked slightly as he tried to contain a smile.

"It's been a while since I've had something so strong," Nora explained. She lifted the glass in the air. "Please give me another."

He poured her another one, which went down as fast as the first. Her head was already spinning, but she had a feeling she was going to need more to get through the day. She had gotten married. It was a day she had dreamed of as a little girl. Her parents should've been here. She should've married a man she loved. _Shit,_ she didn't even know his last name.

The ceremony was all for show. They hadn't signed anything, didn't wear any rings and had no witnesses to speak of. Even though it wasn't legally binding, Nora could only hope Negan was going to keep his part of the deal. Protection. Food. Clothes. All she had to do, was provide herself whenever he wanted to. And when the time was right…

Negan tapped the bottle of liquor on the edge of her glass. Nora nodded, and he filled up her glass once more. He then leaned forward over the bar, resting on his elbows as he watched her take another shot.

"Do you want to get out of here, my dear wife?"

The eyes of the wives were burning on her back.

"Yes, please," she replied, supported by the liquid courage flowing through her veins.

Nora jumped off the barstool, folded the creases out of her dress, and waited for Negan to lead her to wherever his bedroom was. She knew sleeping with him would be part of the deal. It would be naive to assume it wouldn't. The alcohol helped her prepare for it, and judging by the kiss—which wasn't as bad or as dominating as she imagined it would be—perhaps it wouldn't be that horrible. Besides, she would do anything to get away from the party, including sleeping with the enemy.

Negan told Simon that he was leaving. They both shared a chuckle. Then he finished his drink, hissed in response, and took Nora's hand.

"Let's go, wife."

"Lead the way, _husband_ ," Nora replied. Negan raised his eyebrows in response, but still smiled.

The wives were whispering as they passed by, but since he practically ignored them, she did the same. This was the time when she needed to set herself apart. She was the new wife, which meant she was more interesting than the rest, but how long would it take before he would bring an eighth wife home?

His bedroom was at the end of the hallway. It had two doors as an entryway, just like the space they had gotten married in. Her heart was beginning to pound again. She was about to walk in the hole of the beast, and she volunteered to do so.

The doors opened. She suspected pictures of people he had killed on the wall. An entire arsenal of weapons in the corner. Hell, she even suspected a rotting corpse in there. But instead, she got the opposite. His bedroom was sensibly decorated, every piece of furniture matching closely. His bed was freshly made, and a faint smell of patchouli filled her nose.

Negan didn't speak until the doors were closed and they were alone. Nora took it upon herself to check out the room, admiring the art that hung on the wall, running her finger along the spines of the books in his book case. This was even nicer than any room in Alexandria.

"I didn't think you would go through with it," he began. Nora spun on her heel to face him, the dress swirling around her, wrapping around her body. "But you surprised me. Shit, you _really_ surprised me."

Nora took the initiative and shuffled closer to him, her mouth slightly parted as she brought her face as close to his as possible without touching. She was on the right track, now it was time to continue forward.

"What do I need to do to prove myself?" she breathed, Negan's eyes glued to hers.

"Say you love me."

"I don't know you."

She couldn't say those words to him, at least not with conviction. The whole truth was better than a half lie.

"I'm your husband," Negan protested. As long as he was still wearing his smile, she knew she was in the clear. He loved games, and if he wanted her to play along she could.

"You killed my friends."

He bit his lip as he chuckled darkly. "Point taken."

Before the situation would escalate, Nora closed the gap between them and kissed him with as much determination as she could muster. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he slid his right hand up and down her exposed thigh, while he held by her waist with his other.

She had to admit, Negan was a good kisser. As long as she closed her eyes, she could pretend it was Rick. As long as she kept her eyes closed, everything was fine.

His fingers found the bow securing her dress around her waist. With swift motions, he began to pull the string, the fabric loosening around her skin. The kiss deepened as he began to push her towards the bed. This was really going to happen.

 _Wait. This was really going to happen_.

Her eyes opened wide, and she placed her hands in his chest to create some space between them. There was one tiny detail she managed to cover up with her clothing. Her back. She feared that if Negan would see it he would discard her. She was tainted, not like his other wives who seemed to be free of even the most minor injuries.

"Wait," she said, her chest heaving up and down as adrenaline replaced the alcohol in her veins. It made her head spin. "I'd feel more comfortable in the dark."

"I can't admire you in the dark," Negan replied. He pressed a kiss on her exposed collar bone. The dress was starting to slip from her shoulders.

He was going to see it anyway. The best shot she had was to address it slowly, introduce him to the image, and hope that he wouldn't send her away.

"There is something you need to see first."

Nora properly undid the bow, letting her dress fall open to reveal the lingerie she was wearing.

"You have to promise me that you will not get mad."

His word meant little to her, but perhaps it meant something to him. Negan narrowed his eyes as his smile disappeared, sensing she was being serious.

"I promise," he replied, curiosity dripping from his words.

Nora let the dress pool at her feet, and slowly began to turn. Not many people had seen the scars, only the guys who had done it to her, and Rick. He had kissed her, and told her she was more beautiful because of it.

She anxiously awaited his response. Negan wasn't one to be quiet, but even he had to take a moment to process what he was seeing. While she couldn't see the damage herself, she knew her back wasn't pretty. They had doused her in gas from her shoulder blades to the small of her back where she had two dimples. She passed out soon after that, not remembering much of it. What she did remember was the pain, which had lingered on her skin for weeks after.

"Who did this to you," Negan finally said, breaking the silence. His voice was darker than she had ever heard it before. He placed his hand on her shoulder, running her finger along one of the folds in her skin, pulling back when she shuddered upon his touch.

"They're dead," Nora replied. "I killed them."

"How did you do it?"

"You promised me you wouldn't get mad," she tried carefully, looking over her shoulder first before turning on her heel to face him again.

His face was the opposite from what she had expected. Yes, he was mad, but he wasn't mad at her, it seemed. He was bloodthirsty for the men who had done this to her. His fingers were flexing around an imaginary bat, and his eyes were spitting fire.

"How," he demanded.

"An eye for an eye," Nora replied. "I burned them. Watched them die a painful dead. Then I killed them again once they turned."

He seemed to be at a loss for words.

"I'm sorry I'm not as perfect as your other wives."

Negan grabbed her by her wrist. "Are you fucking kidding me? _Never_ apologize again."

Nora swallowed as she held her breath.

"You wear those scars like a badge of pride."

Then the trademark smirk returned again. "And I have to admit. The image of you killing is super hot."

She couldn't help but let out a chuckle. God dammit, he had made her smile. What the fuck was she doing? This was going so easily. Too easily. Nora was beginning to scare herself. She was supposed to find this hard. She was supposed to be disgusted, and to an extend she was, but it dawned on her that she wasn't disgusted to the _fullest_ extend.

"If you want I can talk about my murders all day. There are many others we haven't covered yet."

Negan snickered. "I would _love_ to hear about my dear wife killing people. I'm growing hard just from thinking about it."

She kissed him again. Her fingers were pushing his leather jacket off of him. If this was happening than she at least wanted to get some pleasure out of it as well.

"Wait," Negan then said even though he let his jacket fall on the ground behind him. "I need to know. How the fuck did you end up here?"

Nora ruffled her brows. Was he actually being interested in her? First, the concern and anger, and now this? Was this the alcohol that had gone to her head? Was this a dream?

She let herself fall back and sat on the edge of the bed. "I was here on vacation. We were on our way to Disney World when it happened. We never even reached the park."

"Who is we?" Negan sat down besides her, their legs touching.

"My girlfriends from back home. They're dead."

"And your family?"

Nora shook their head. "I don't know. But I presume they're dead as well. We don't have an abundance of guns lying around there like they do here. Survival must be a lot harder. I had never fired a weapon before in my life before all of this happened."

Negan raised his eyebrows in surprise. Now, her revolver felt natural in her hands, and she had become quite a good shot too. It helped that she had a lot of practice and preferred the clean kill over her knife.

"Did you interrogate your other wives like this as well?" Nora joked, hoping to lighten the mood a little. Negan was still unpredictable, and his mood always shifted within a second.

"Actually," he replied slowly. "I didn't."

Should she be flattered, or was this another way to test her loyalty?

"I have another question to ask you. You were wearing a jacket yesterday. You weren't wearing that jacket when I arrived."

Her heart stopped in her chest. _Fuck_.

"Did you think I wouldn't notice? Why did you wear that fucking jacket? What's in there? A knife so you could slit my throat while I'm sleeping? Now that I know you have murdered other men I am not entirely sure if I want to share my bed with you."

"No," Nora defended. "There's nothing in there. Nothing that could hurt you, I promise."

Negan turned and headed over to the closet on the opposite side of his bed and pulled out her jacket.

"Prove it."

He threw the jacket on her lap. There really wasn't anything in there that could be used as a weapon. She had thought about hiding a knife on her body, but the danger of getting caught wasn't worth it. Negan wouldn't kill her, he would probably do something to her that was much worse than that. No, her plan was to steal a knife, gun, or whatever weapon she could find right here from the Sanctuary.

Nora's fingers were trembling even though she didn't have anything to hide. She switched the jacket over, the lining facing upwards. The secret pocket was located on the left side, and she had concealed it so well that she couldn't even find it at first.

"I've sewn this pocket in a long time ago," she said, her voice unsteady as she desperately tried to get the thing she had smuggled with her out of there. "I swear it, I wasn't trying to kill you. There's nothing in here of value to you."

Negan didn't reply and remained standing, scowling with his arms in front of his chest.

Finally, she could grab it and as quickly as she could Nora pulled it out. _A phone_. It was just an old iPhone. The screen was cracked in several places, the case she had around it broken right in half, and the battery had died ages ago. She couldn't even remember what background she had on there.

"That's it?" Negan said. She could tell he was a little disappointed. "A fucking phone?"

It wasn't until then she allowed herself to look up. "I told you. I'm not trying to kill you. I just can't leave this phone behind. I should've told you."

"Damn right you should've," Negan replied. He held out his hand, and Nora reluctantly gave him the phone, hoping he wouldn't break it beyond repair. "Why would you risk my trust for this broken piece of junk?"

"My family," Nora stated. "They might have left me messages. The phone died before I could check and all the chargers I had were either broken or useless because I had no power. You have to believe me that I wasn't trying to kill you with it in some way."

He considered her explanation, turning the phone over to check if she was really telling the truth.

Finally, he put her out of her misery. "I believe you."

Nora wanted to let out a sigh of relief, but managed to restrain it just in time. Instead, she closed her eyes, and thanked whatever god was out there. This had been close.

"But to be safe, I'll keep it with me," he said, bending down to pick his jacket up from the ground. He put her iPhone in one of the pockets and placed it on the couch, patting it once before turning back to her.

"Please, I beg you. It's the only thing I have left, don't let anyone else touch it."

"It means that much to you, huh?" Negan said as he ruffled his brows.

Nora nodded. It had all been going too easy, and in a way she was glad this moment had happened. It would keep her on her toes. While Negan seemed more affectionate than she might have imagined, he still didn't trust her, and rightly so. Just yesterday she was still with Rick, and now she had become his wife. He, too, hadn't forgotten he had murdered her friends in cold blood.

"I give you my word that no one will touch it. I'll keep it safe."

It was perfect. He now had leverage over her. She would kill for that damn phone, and he realized that all too well.

"Now," Negan smiled again, sitting down next to her on the bed before his fingers gripped her bare knee. "Where the fuck were we?"

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you all so much for the support, and especially _ambs-v_ and _Genevieve Darcy Granger_ for reviewing!

I really wanted to have Negan marry her really soon. This wedding was much more a test than anything else to see if she would go through with it. Please let me know your thoughts, and I will see you soon :) 3


	4. Chapter 4

This was the worst thing she had done, and that included all the murders. Negan had his arms draped around her waist, his soft breath hitting her ear every few seconds. She was wide awake and didn't dare to close her eyes. She didn't want to act like this was normal. She didn't want to feel like his _fucking wife_.

By the time Negan woke up the sun had already illuminated the room. Nora kept her gaze focused on the seat on the opposite end. In the past hours, she had studied its details closely. The fabric was embroidered with a chevron pattern. The fur cushions, which looked fake, didn't entirely fit with the rest of the room. If he would've taken any longer she would've started counting every line that adorned the side of the thing.

Negan groaned in pleasure and even though she had her back towards him she could tell he was smiling. He always was. She had been with him long enough to know that he balanced between two, very extreme, emotions—happy, gleeful, delighted even, or angry, aggressive, and blood thirsty. The two could interchange at any moment, which made him even more unpredictable than she had imagined.

"Good morning, my beloved wife."

He pressed his chest against her back and tightened his grip around her waist. Her body shivered as she felt his lips gently against her cheek. Being this affectionate, like one would with their spouse, was even harder on her than the sex. Now, she couldn't tune him out. She couldn't pretend she enjoyed this either. Sex was easy. But this? This was supposed to be love.

"How does it feel to be a married woman?"

Nora treated every question like a test, and planned her words accordingly. "Safe," she finally said.

"Safe," Negan repeated.

There were so many questions still haunting her. This entire wife situation… Nora had no idea how it worked. Did they trade every night? Did Negan decide who he wanted to sleep with randomly? Were they confined to their living quarters? What about food, where were they supposed to make it? What would they wear when they would leave the Sanctuary? She couldn't fight off walkers in dresses and heels, right?

She knew she couldn't ask them all at once. A crash course on how to survive this place would've been nice, but no one seemed to care to tell her anything. In the end, she decided on asking the first question she thought of.

"How do you alternate between your wives? Do you pick? Do you have a schedule?"

" _A schedule._ You're fucking funny Nora, did anyone ever tell you that?" Negan replied. He finally let go of her waist which allowed her to turn and face him. "Do you feel threatened?"

She did feel threatened, but she couldn't tell him that. Besides being totally gorgeous, young, and practically perfect—the other wives knew how this place worked. They knew how to behave. How to react. How to talk to him. What to do to prevent Negan from getting bored.

Nora propped her head on her hand, raising her eyebrows ever so slightly for a mere second. "Should I?" she then replied, placing the ball back in his court.

"Nope," Negan replied. He leaned forward and kissed her long. "Not yet, at least."

His smile and words were at times contradictory, and this was one of those times. It was as if he was pitting his wives against each other, creating a competition of who was willing to love him the most. Nora wondered if any of these women actually loved him. She doubted it.

Negan lifted his arm and tilted his wrist to read the time. Her own watch had stopped working a long time ago. "Is it that time already?" He patted her on her thigh before rolling out of bed.

She couldn't pull her gaze away from his naked body. He was skinnier than Rick was, but his leather jacket often gave him the appearance of being quite muscular. Negan began to pull on his jeans, leaving his torso bare. So vulnerable. So easy to kill. If she just had a knife, she could slit his throat right here and now.

He turned his head, looking over his shoulder. "See anything you like?"

"Maybe," Nora replied, biting her lip to give her words a playful twist.

As he continued getting dressed, Nora began to scan the opposite side of the room which she hadn't been able to study thoroughly yet. Negan didn't seem like the kind of guy who could sleep safe and sound at night without some sort of a weapon under or near his pillow. Lucille was nowhere to be found, so there had to be something else around the place.

"I won't be back until late." He pulled on a grey t-shirt. "You don't have to wait up for me. In fact, you don't have to be _here_ at all. Your bedroom is fine."

The thought of a night alone delighted her more than it should, yet at the same time it troubled her. Was he dumping her already?

"I thought you said the other wives weren't a threat?" She cocked one eyebrow slightly, making sure the sheet on the bed was draped around her body to accentuate her figure.

"Nora, my dear. You gotta understand I am finding myself in a very difficult position. Keeping one wife happy, it a _lot_ of work. Imagine having to keep seven wives happy."

Negan pulled on his boots and secured a belt around his hips. She was waiting for him to put a handgun in the back of his waistband, but there was nothing. No knife, no machete, no gun, no nothing. Did he really walk around unprotected or carried Lucille everywhere he went?

"I'm sure you'd understand," he said before flashing her a smile. Nora mirrored his lead and beamed similarly, nodding. "So, I will see you _tomorrow_."

He held his jacket in his hand, leaning forward to kiss her on the forehead. His fingers cupped her face, and she hoped he wouldn't notice how hot her skin was. The nerves had been replaced by tension filling her body at all times. Her muscles were already aching, and that was just after one day.

"Have a good day, husband," Nora said before he could, hoping she'd surprise him a little.

Negan sucked on his lip, the best response she could've received. He then disappeared, leaving her behind in his room. The silence and solitude was a welcome change to constant having to walk on eggshells around him.

And then it struck her. She rolled over to Negan's side of the bed. _She was alone_. If there were any weapons hidden in this room she was willing to bet anything that she could find it. After all, hiding weapons was her thing, with knifes being her speciality.

Her eyes scanned the bookshelf. One of those books could be hollowed out. _No,_ she decided. _That would be too easy_. Perhaps his wardrobe then, stashed between his socks or underwear. Or a hole in the ground, like Spencer had done.

Think like Negan. Where would he hide a gun?

Nora let out a sigh. Negan wouldn't hide any form of weapon anywhere within near her reach. He was too smart for that, he wouldn't risk it. Besides, the room was probably bugged, and it wouldn't surprise her if he had set up cameras as well. _Cameras that filmed her naked body, having sex… with him_.

She didn't want to think about the possibility of that being true. Nora threw the covers from her body and began to scavenge for some clothing. Wearing her wedding dress seemed inappropriate, but there was nothing else in here and she wasn't about to walk naked across the hallway to her room. Would the other wives find it offensive if she would wear his clothing?

There was no other choice. She got one of his t-shirts from his wardrobe. A black one, which just about covered her ass and hung loosely on her frame. Nerves filled her body again. The wives scared her just about as much as Negan himself did. The fact that it was six against one did not help much either, but she couldn't hide in his room all day.

The door from his apartment opened with a creaking noise. The sound echoed through the hallway, announcing her arrival. There was no one there, but she could hear sound coming from the living room where they married the day before.

Soft classical musical drew her in. In her tiptoes, Nora popped her head around the doorpost, checking out the situation. All the wives where there, dressed like they were heading for dinner rather than breakfast in an apocalyptic world. They had even done their hair and make-up.

 _Fuck_ , Nora hissed under her breath, staring down to her bruised legs. She hadn't even bothered to look in the mirror to check if her mascara had run down her cheeks. If anything, she probably looked like a panda with a messy bun on top of her head, and while she normally didn't particularly cared for what she looked like, knowing she would get dirty throughout the day anyway, she now felt incredible self conscious about herself. Negan liked his wives hot, at _all times_ apparently, and Nora had missed that memo.

"Good morning," she said, raising her arm to give them an awkward wave.

She had to make do with a forced smile, only Amber seemed to be genuinely happy about her presence. Nora decided to sit next to her and pressed her legs tightly together as she tried to pull the shirt as far down her thighs as she could.

A man she did not recognize handed her a plate with two slices of bread and freshly cut fruit, which probably came from Hilltop. The food looked appetizing, and to get out of this situation as soon as possible she began to stuff it in her mouth, chewing as fast as she could.

The other wives had already finished, and most of them left to retreat to their own rooms, leaving just her and Amber behind. Finally she felt like she was able to breathe again, and decided to use this opportunity to ask some questions that she desperately wanted answered.

"Are we supposed to dress like that all the time?" Nora said, bowing her head to nod to the chiffon dress Amber was wearing.

"Yes, Negan likes us best in dresses and heels. Just wear what is in the closet provided and you'll be good."

Nora ruffled her brows, and pulled the crust off her slice of bread to eat it separately. "So what do we wear when we go out there?" Bare arms and legs increased the risk of getting bit, not to even mention the heels. She could walk in them, but she wouldn't get far running.

"Out there?" Amber giggled for the first time since Nora had been here. "We don't go out there."

"What do you mean?" Nora asked, biting down on a piece of apple.

"We stay in here. Negan would not risk any of his wives out there."

"Are you saying you stay in here, _all the time?"_

Amber nodded. "Yeah. In here, we are safe."

Nora wanted to stand to put her empty dish together with the others, but someone ripped it from her hands before she could. Having servants might seem like a luxury, and perhaps it once was, in this world though, it reminded her of something far worse. Did these people even get paid or rewarded?

She took a closer look at Amber. Her blonde hair looked like hers, except it was more wavy. Even sitting down, she could see that she was about a feet shorter than she was. Her frame was petite, and the dress she was wearing accentuated all the right features. What struck Nora the most about her, and most of the wives, was the fact that they didn't seem malnourished, bruised and battered, or haggard in any shape way or form. She doubted Amber had been out there like she had, which explained why she stuck so closely to Negan. Protection was worth more than anything money could buy, and while Negan has done a lot of fucked up shit, he seemed to be a man of his word and kept these women safe. Very safe.

"That must be awfully boring," Nora replied, trying to think of what she was going to do the entire day if she wasn't allowed to leave the compound.

"Boring is better than dying."

Amber decided their conversation had ended and got up, giving her a kind smile before she left, leaving Nora alone with the servants, whom she escaped right after and rushed to her own bedroom.

She let out a sigh, and rolled her shoulders to relief some of the tension. She had survived the first night as a married woman, and considering she was alone tonight, she was positive she would survive the second one as well. The days were a different matter. At Alexandria she kept herself busy all the time by going on runs, killing walkers outside of the gates, trying to grow crops, cooking, cleaning, watching Judith… In fact, there was so much to do she never once had been bored. None of her usual activities seemed to be available to her, which allowed her to think—and that was a dangerous exercise.

Rick creeped into her mind. He was holding Judith, and softly hummed a lullaby to her. The moments when the world had gone to sleep and it was just them were her favorites.

 _Stop_ , Nora told herself before she would allow her memories to go too far. She didn't need to see this. She needed to remind herself why the hell she was here, and that was to kill Negan.

Now she had received the memo, Nora put on a light sundress and a pair of wedges. Her little toe was squashed by one to the bands covering her feet, but it was a small price to pay to look her best for Negan. She didn't want anyone to tell him she was evading his rules the moment he turned his back.

She retreated back to the living room, finding the wives had returned once she had left, except for the one she remembered as Sherry. Most of them were reading a book or playing games, and one of them was watching an old movie on a tiny tv. Nora decided to take their lead and find something to read, but after noting that the only books Negan seemed to possess were old literary classics which she had already read in high school in her native language, or magazines which seemed to be about two years old and completely not relevant, Nora was afraid this was going to be a very long day.

Nora pretended to be reading, turning the page every few minutes to make it appear like she was making progress. In reality, she was watching and listening to everyone very closely. The wives had started to converse with each other, and finally seemed to be opening up in her presence. All before lunch she found out that Dwight, one of Negan's lieutenants, had been married to Sherry, and that neither of them knew whose turn it was to sleep with him tonight. They hoped he was tired and didn't want to see anybody. Apparently, it was a long day for him.

Sherry returned soon after lunch was served (a chicken stew) and gave some orders to one of Negan's men, and then disappeared again. Nora had watched closely over the edge of her book. She wanted to be like Sherry. No, she _had_ to be like Sherry.

When the clock struck two, Nora couldn't take it anymore. She had skipped through the entire book— _twice_ , and her patience was running low. When she worked up the courage to move, she put down her book. "Do you think it would be alright to take a walk? Need to stretch my legs."

Tanya answered. She had never spoken a word to her before, but it made her a little at ease to know they weren't all straight up ignoring her. Perhaps they needed time to adapt to another wife just like she needed to adapt to her new lifestyle as a married woman.

"Yeah, of course. Just don't go outside."

 _Why did no one ever tell her any fucking thing?_

Within a second, Nora was on her feet and out the door. The factory was huge, and needed exploring. After a day stuck inside with a book (which once delighted her) this seemed like a huge deal. Finally, she was going to get some action.

Her heels made a deafening sound against the concrete flooring in contrast to her nearly silent boots. It was impossible to walk without attracting the attention of the entire hallway, and for a moment, Nora suspected Negan put them all in heels so they couldn't run away.

Nora never disliked a challenge. She didn't have anything to hide, and she had the right to be here like everyone else, yet she wanted to be as invisible as possible. Apart from exploring the factory, she also had her sights set on Daryl. Right now, he despised her guts, and she couldn't let that slide. He needed to know. Everyone at Alexandria needed to know.

After wandering around for a little while, the maze began to make sense. Most doors were locked, and judging by the similar set of doors everywhere, they led to the living quarters of Negan's men. After making a left turn, she found the laundry room again. The people working didn't acknowledge her except for a tiny nod, and Nora was glad they didn't bow for her like they did for Negan.

There was no trace left in the factory of the old world. Every room had been stripped and refurnished to suit the needs for the community. She came across a kitchen, a set of bathrooms, an indoor greenhouse where they were planting an impressive selection of crops. What she hadn't come across was the cells where she remembered they were holding Daryl.

Negan had taken her there yesterday, but they had crisscrossed through the factory with no way of remembering the way they had come. She didn't dare asking anyone either. Everyone around here knew by now she was the new wife, and she figured they would also know where she had come from. No one in their right mind would take her to see Daryl. No one wanted to face the wrath of Negan.

At least this kept her busy. After passing the same hallway for a third time, she began to make a mental map of the place. At the end there was a staircase leading down, and thinking back she recalled she hadn't been down there before.

It was darker down here. One single light flickered every now and again, casting the place in a sheet of darkness. It was colder too. The sundress she was wearing didn't leave much to the imagination and for the first time since forever she actually felt a little cold.

The doors seemed thicker and more heavy down here than upstairs. Nora crossed her arms in front of her chest and began to walk slowly towards the light, trying not to make any noise.

Something caught her attention. A song. A really, _really_ annoying song. It repeated itself over and over inside one of the cells, its muffled melody audible just outside. Her hand was on the doorknob, but as she guessed, it was locked.

Nora turned to the other doors, finding they were left open. This was the only cell occupied, and as far as she knew, the Sanctuary only had one prisoner at the moment. Daryl had to be in there, and if not, it was a risk she was willing to take.

She returned to the cell blasting music. Her hand slipped up the skirt of her dress and pulled something she had hidden in her underwear. A note, which she had secretly written in her bedroom. It wasn't an entire letter, just a few words. Daryl would understand. Hopefully.

Getting down on her knees, she read the note one more time.

 _Trying to kill him._

 _Need to get close._

 _N_

She didn't want to think about the consequences if someone found the note. Quickly, she folded it in half and slid it under the door. After a moment, she saw it being pulled inside. Whoever was in there, they got her message.

It was time to head back. She couldn't be away for too long before it would start to get obvious. Sherry returned regularly, so she probably should do so too. While the wives were warming up to her, she didn't trust them, not even Amber.

On her toes, she skipped up the stairs, careful not to let her heel hit the metal.

"Hello, honey."

 _Fuck. Negan._

"You're back," Nora breathed more to herself than to him. She was thankful for the coldness down there. At least her cheeks weren't flushed from the nerves.

"Indeed I am," he smiled, but it wasn't a sincere smile like he normally gave. He was irritated, and trying his best not to let it show. "And you were down a part of the factory where there is absolutely no fucking thing for you to find."

"The tour you gave me wasn't all that comprehensive. Just trying to find my way back," Nora fired back, knowing damn well she should watch her mouth, but it wasn't in her nature to just take everything he fired at her.

"It's around the corner and up the stairs." Negan pointed with his gloved hand to the direction to which she should go. It wasn't until then that she noticed he had Lucille with him, and the barbed wire was covered in blood and flesh. She wondered who he would give the awesome job of cleaning it.

"Thank you, my beloved."

He grabbed her forcefully by her arm, drawing her closer. Nora felt her heart pounding, but she kept her face as straight as she possibly could, looking down to his grip before meeting his eyes.

"Be careful, Nora. Do not make me dislike you."

"Wouldn't dare to," she replied, realizing she had almost crossed a line there. She needed to fix this, and fast.

Improvising Nora leaned forward and let her lips brush lightly against his. It wasn't a proper kiss, but enough to take him by surprise. While she knew she had to be careful around Negan, she didn't want to end up like the other wives confined to their living quarters like Rapunzel to her tower. She would rather die than have him break her down so far she wouldn't be herself anymore. It was the only condition she had in this marriage.

"Will you come see me tonight?" she then whispered. The grip on her arm loosened and her heart leapt when his trademark smirk returned to him as he ruffled his brows. Sooner or later she might just get the hang of communicating him.

"I just might," he replied slowly.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you to _ambs-v_ , _Genevieve Darcy Granger_ and _Charlene Clark_ for reviewing! I very much appreciate it and love to read your responses!

I want to apologize for the wait. I was out of the country for about two weeks and didn't have a computer to upload any new chapters. I'll do my best to get the next chapter out there sooner!

Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter and please let me know your thoughts :D 3


	5. Chapter 5

There was a short rap at her door. It was already late in the evening and dinner was served hours ago (vegetables, mainly). After, all the wives had retreated to their own rooms to escape Negan. Nora had done the same, trying to follow the lead of the others as much as possible. Slowly but surely she was learning how to behave and what rules to follow, but she was far from understanding the place.

Another impatient knock followed, which prompted Nora to pull on her silk robe as she had already taken off the skintight dress she had on that day. The concrete floor felt cold on her bare feet, but the heels she had been wearing were already beginning to take its toll. Her muscles were aching and her feet hurt like she had been walking for days on end. She wasn't used to this kind of footwear anymore and she longed for her sturdy boots that had served her so well.

Nora opened the door, finding Dwight before her. The scar that covered his cheek reminded her very much of her own and even though she knew she should hate these people, she felt bad for him. Negan was playing a dirty game. Mutilating his face and then marrying his ex-wife. That must have been hard on him.

But then she remembered Dwight was here by choice, just like she was. Did he have some grand plan for killing Negan as well? Was Sherry part of that act? What if… _No._ She lowered her gaze to the ground. She couldn't trust them. Not yet, anyway.

"Negan wants to see you," he spoke.

Nora adjusted the wrap around her waist and pulled it tighter before nodding slowly. It seemed like she was the lucky one today, but she didn't mind. Her objective was to get closer to him, and closer she was going to get.

She stepped out of her room, closing the door carefully. Dwight placed his hand on her elbow and tightened his fingers before pulling her softly towards Negan's room. Her gaze went from his hand to his eyes. She wasn't going to be dragged around like an infant. She wasn't going to take this.

Before thinking, she took a step aside and yanked her arm away.

"I don't need a fucking escort to see my husband."

Dwight let out a sigh as he bit his lip. "Just come with me."

He was practically begging her not to make a fuss, but Nora didn't want to be treated like she was a child. Perhaps the other wives didn't mind, but she couldn't let this slide. This entire marriage thing was patronizing enough and the only way to salvage some of her pride was to at least have some form of independence. This place wasn't going to break her. Nora couldn't allow it to.

"Don't hold me by my arm like I'm your dog," she scathed.

Dwight hesitated for a moment, his fingers twitching as if he was instructed to take her to Negan and he couldn't disobey the orders given.

A door on the opposite end of the hallway opened. _Negan's door_.

"What the fuck is going on here?" he ordered before stepping out. He was still fully dressed and his right hand was wrapped around Lucille. She was relieved to find the bat wasn't stained crimson with blood.

Nora took her cue and hurried towards him with Dwight following not much later. As she stood before Negan, she crossed her arms in front of her chest and raised her eyebrows.

"Next time you want to see me you just have to ask."

Before he was able to reply, Nora had already slipped past him into his room. With her back towards him, she waited for him to come to her. When Negan murdered Abraham and Glenn in cold blood, he made clear to them that there were rules he expected them to follow. It was now time to let him know that she wasn't going to abide to all of those rules.

The tension in her muscles disappeared when she heard him chuckling. She didn't yet dare to face him until he closed the door, and as soon as he did she spun on her heel.

"I don't appreciate the escort, Negan. I'm not a child."

He licked his lips as cocked his head. "You know," he then began, completely ignoring her statement. "When I first proposed to you back at Alexandria I was just interested in you because I knew you were with Rick. Marrying his girlfriend? I'd be fucking stupid not to propose."

His body was merely inches away from hers and he had captured her with his eyes.

"But now you're actually my wife? I have to admit you're surprising me Nora."

If it weren't for the constant smile on his lips Nora would've started to grow concerned. She knew that as long as he was smiling she was relatively safe, and luckily for her, Negan loved to smile.

"I didn't think you would _defy_ me so much."

"Let me guess," Nora interrupted. "I'm not like your other wives?"

Negan extended his arm and grabbed her by her waist as he pulled her closer. His fingers felt hot through the fabric of her robe. Her body still shuddered at the contact.

"That's correct."

He was wrong there. Nora was exactly like the other wives. They were all struggling for survival, doing whatever was necessary to stay alive. For them, it meant offering themselves in exchange for protection. Negan was a man of his word, that he had proven. Security was worth a lot in this world. For Nora, surviving meant killing him.

"You'd be surprised how alike we are," she replied, allowing her body to touch his.

Negan placed Lucille against the couch and slid his gloved hand up and down her thigh. Against her wishes, a soft moan escaped from her mouth.

"A little bird told me you are getting bored. Am I not providing enough distraction?" His tone grew darker and his smile disappeared.

"I hardly see you," Nora replied, trying to think about rotting corpses and the lifeless bodies of her friends lying in the dirt. Negan's fingers were still on her skin and she felt her body growing hot. She was fine with having sex with him, but enjoying it wasn't part of the deal. "What am I supposed to do while I wait?"

"I don't know. How about you read a fucking book?"

Nora chuckled. "Your library section isn't that well-stocked. I get that books aren't a priority while scavenging, but you can't expect me to entertain myself with a couple of books. Hell, I had a better selection of books while I was living in a _prison_."

"The others are fine with it," Negan replied. "You'll adapt."

Their bodies were still touching. The tension between them grew with every second that passed as the room seemed to close in on her. Every conversation with him was a constant battle and while she was dying to get out there to fight, she was tired of fighting this one.

"I don't know where the other wives come from, but I can't sit around doing nothing all day. At Alexandria, and before that, there was so much stuff to be done. I'm not used to this kind of life. I want you to find me a job. I don't care what it is. I'll even work on that fence of walkers if that's what it takes. Anything to get me out of this fucking place."

Negan raised his eyebrows as he shook his head ever so slightly. His grip on her waist firmed. "You'll work out there?"

"I'm experienced. I know I can handle it."

"I don't doubt you can, but you're my _wife_. I can't have you working those fucking jobs meant for the prisoners. In fact, I can't have you working at all. What message would that send to potential fiancées? Marry Negan and you'll still have to work? Nobody'll sign up for that."

She was losing the argument. A job was out of the question, she realized that now. Her mind was spinning as she was trying to think of something else. While the wives led a comfortable life surrounded in relative luxury, Nora couldn't allow herself to become one of them. If she were to kill Negan she had to gain his complete trust. Killing him was the easy part, escaping was harder, and how the hell was she getting out of here if they wouldn't allow her in, around, or out of the gates?

"Then take me with you," Nora suddenly said. "Take me back to Alexandria."

Negan opened his mouth to protest.

"Just hear me out."

She placed her hands on his chest as she looked down for a moment, gathering her thoughts.

"Rick is undoubtedly still hurting from my betrayal, as will the rest. Take me to him. I'll put on a nice dress so you can parade me round in front of him. I know you want to hurt him and I can guarantee you this will work."

Negan bit his lip as a smile returned on his lips. "Oh, Nora," he replied. "I didn't know you were so cunning. This is cold, even for me. But I cannot deny that it's not a fucking great idea."

He cupped her face with his hand, his thumb softly stroking her skin.

"But, how do I make certain this isn't all a trick to get me to take you back to your people?"

She continually underestimated his ability to see right through her lies. He caught her every single time, and the only way to defeat him was to beat him at his own game.

Nora placed her own hand over his, never breaking eye contact for one moment.

"You have to start to trust me, Negan," she began. "I married you. I am your wife. You want to break Rick, right? Then use me."

"Do you love me?"

Negan had asked that questions several times, and her answer hadn't changed since. Lying came naturally to her, but not on this matter. Love was a rare thing in this world. It needed to be cherished, it needed to be sincere. This marriage was based on mutual gain. As far as Nora was concerned, love would never even play a role.

"I _trust_ you," Nora said. "Is that not enough for now?"

He bit lis lip, diverting his gaze to the ground for a mere moment.

"You want love? You go and see your other wives."

And on that note, Nora broke free and took a step back, heading towards the door. While she was here mostly to serve to Negan's needs, this was still a marriage, and in her books, a marriage was a two way street. If he couldn't give her what she wanted, she wouldn't give him what he needed.

The door was locked. Of course it was. Her heart rate was slowly but surely increasing and she became very aware that Lucille was in the room with them. No one could come in to help her if necessary. Who was the kidding. Even if the door was open no one would come in to save her.

But then Negan started to chuckle.

"Look at that! Our first fight!"

He almost sounded… happy? Delighted, even. Nora ruffled her brows, and with her back towards him she allowed herself to express confusion. She couldn't figure him out. The line between what she was granted to do, and what she wasn't, was so fine that she felt like she was continuously dancing on the edge.

His fingers were on her arm again. Negan's touch was soft, gentle even, and though she wanted nothing more but to get the hell out of here, Nora couldn't help but turn around to face him.

"Come to bed, baby. We'll continue our talk in the morning."

Nora crossed her arms in front of her chest, cocking her head slightly.

"Promise me you'll think about it."

Negan nodded and smiled. "I promise, my dear wife."

"You know when I said I trusted you?" Nora then said, her tone lighter than before. "I take that back."

He leaned forward and kissed her long and slow before retreating back with his signature smile.

"I'll make it up to you."

Nora could take a hint. She stood on her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her lips against his again. His skin smelled faintly of cologne, and it wasn't until now that it dawned on her how _clean_ he always seemed to be.

His fingers found the bow resting on her left hip and pulled it loose, letting her silk robe fall open. She was wearing the most simple set of lingerie she could find in her closet and suddenly grew very aware of it. Making an effort with her appearance proved to be very hard on her, especially now in this world.

Negan didn't seem to mind as he directed his kisses towards her neck. Nora fumbled with his t-shirt, trying to get it off in the meantime.

The second time was better. She still loathed his guts and longed for the moment she would be able to kill him, but knowing she had gotten through the first time made her hopeful that she could do so again.

In fact, Negan was quite a considerate lover. Was this his way of winning her over? His way of proving himself to her that he wasn't a complete psychopath that she believed him to be?

The silence in the Sanctuary was deafening at night. Negan let out a final sigh of pleasure and rolled onto his back besides her. She wanted to pull up the duvet over her body, but decided against it.

"Do you want me to go to my room, or—," Nora asked carefully as she studied the patterns in the ceiling. She had her hands on her stomach, feeling it rise and fall as she tried to get her breathing under control again. "I get it if you want to see the others wives. I'll be fine to leave."

But Negan replied with a firm "No."

He repositioned himself so he faced her. "You can stay here."

Nora nodded. While Negan liked to think all his wives were here by choice, the reality was that they weren't really. The only choice they made was the choice to survive, but none of them truly loved him. Seven wives, and they were all scared of him.

"Why do you have so many wives anyway?" she blurted out now they were on her mind.

"Well, why wouldn't I?"

A grimace formed on his lips as he propped his head on his hand.

"Point taken," Nora replied.

"How are the others treating you?"

His question caught her by surprise and she had to let it sink in before she was able to reply. The wives had been quite cold to her so far. Perhaps they didn't want to get to know her, fearing she would die soon anyway and didn't want to get attached. Or maybe they saw her as a threat. She didn't have any evidence for it either, and figured that ratting them out to Negan wouldn't win her any hearts.

"Great," Nora replied with as much conviction as she could. "I really like Amber. She is nice."

"How about Sherry?" Negan said, studying her face closely, which made her slightly nervous.

"I haven't been able to talk to her much yet."

A safe answer which Negan hopefully was satisfied with.

"Negan?"

Her eyes were searching for his. She needed to make clear that she couldn't stay in here cooped up all day. It would drive her insane. She needed to get out there. Kill walkers. She needed a job, something to do.

"I understand if you don't want to take me back to Alexandria, but _please_ , find me something else to do. I don't know how your other wives do it, but I can't be in here all day waiting for you to return and hoping you'd pick me over the rest. I can't do it. I'm sorry."

"If you don't want to be here, you are free to go," Negan replied, his face difficult to read. "You know that, right?"

Her fingers laced with his as she gently pressed her lips against the back of his hand.

"I want to be here. I want to be here with you. I just can't stay inside all day."

"You miss it, huh?" Negan replied. "You've been here for just two days."

"And I've been out there for god knows how long."

He slid his hand on her waistline, his thumb stroking her skin.

"We'll talk about it in the morning, okay?"

Nora couldn't do anything but nod. It was his decision, and his decision only. Negan liked to present people with choices, but truly, no one was in charge except for him. Nora knew this, and the only thing she could do was try to influence him as much as possible. Hopefully she made a good case for herself today. Hopefully, she was leaving this place soon, even if it was just for a few minutes.

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 **A/N:** Thank you all so much for all the reviews and a big welcome to any new followers. I'm very happy that there is still so much interest in this story :) this chapter isn't my longest, but I still hoped you enjoyed it :) Please let me know your thoughts and until next time 3


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